There are some rules around coffee in Italy. If you stand at the bar in a café and simply order a “caffè”, you will receive an aromatic espresso, for which you usually only pay a small price. It becomes more expensive as soon as you sit down at a table and are served. Very few Italians would go to large chains like Starbucks. And even when it comes to a milky cappuccino, the Dolce Vita professionals have rules. Namely: After 12 no one orders a cappuccino or latte macchiato.
If you do that and want to have a drink after a meal, you will be immediately exposed as a tourist. TikTok star “The Pasta Queen” Nadia explains why in one of her new videos.
“Why don’t Italians drink a cappuccino after 12? Because it’s a breakfast drink!” She says indignantly and smacks the table. “It’s coffee, it’s frothed milk. It’s good for stimulating the senses. Maybe before ten o’clock if you want to push it to the limit, eleven o’clock. But not after 12!” Says “The Pasta Queen”. “Once you’ve eaten a meal, you’ve got enough to do with all the calories and cheese, all you need is a quick espresso,” explains the Italian.
It’s like an American eating a hot dog for breakfast – simply illogical, according to the TikToker. In the comments below their post, users share anecdotes from Italy and name other deadly Italian sins: pineapple on pizza, cheese on seafood and cream in carbonara sauce. Others find ways to override the Italian rules. “What if you work a night shift and have breakfast late?” one user wants to know.
Ultimately, everyone is free to order a cappuccino after 12 – provided they don’t mind getting crooked looks in Italy.
